Fourths to thomas r



(No Model.)

W. H. MORGAN. OVERHEAD TRAVELING CRANE.

No. 509,767. Patented Nov. 28, 1893.

4 oeanwsma COMPANY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY MORGAN, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTI-IS TO THOMAS R. MORGAN, SR., THOMAS R. MORGAN, JR., AND JOHN R. MORGAN, OF SAME PLACE.

OVERHEAD TRAVELING CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,757, dated November 28, 1893.

Application filed January 14, 1893. Serial No. 458,407. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY MOR- GAN, of Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overhead Traveling Cranes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvementin overhead traveling cranes and it consists in the parts and combinations of parts as will be more fully described and pointed out in the claim.

The accompanying drawing is a view in plan of a traveling crane embodying my invention.

In the overhead traveling cranes now in common use, a main shaft for actuating the driving wheels of the bridge extends from one end truck of the bridge to the other. This shaft is actuated by a'single electric motor or other power transmitting devices located generally near one end truck of the bridge. Where the bridges are of long span, the torsional strain on the driving shaft is suflicient to throw the shaft out of line and thus cause one end of the bridge to travel slightly in advance of the other. This not only strains the bridge, but it tends to cause the wheels to leave the rails. To overcome this rack bars have been secured alongside of the rails, and the driving Wheels of the bridge provided with toothed wheels adapted to engage the rack bars. Such an arrangement is not wholly reliable and is expensive, and the object of my invention is to provide means for positively actuating both ends of the shaft whereby uniform travel of both ends of the bridge is assured and all torsion on the bridge or shaft avoided.

The bridge A is provided at one side with bearings for the shaft B, and the latter carries at its opposite ends toothed wheels at which latter mesh with the toothed wheels 1) fast to the driving wheels 0 ofthe bridge. Supported by the bridge near the opposite ends thereof are two motors D, D, both of which are geared up to'the shaft B, and connected so that they are operated in unison. The motors are located near the opposite ends of The shaft and as they are coupled up to move in unison, it follows that all torsional strain on the shaft is avoided. As equal power is applied to both ends of the shaft the central portion of the shaft might be dispensed with, and two short shafts employed in lieu thereof. I prefer however to employ the single shaft and couple up the motors as describ'ed,as the portion of the shaft between the two motors acts as a governor for the m0- tors and prevents the slightest variation in the speed of either.

It is evident that numerous changes and alterations of the several parts of my device might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention. Hence I would have it understood that Ido not confine myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts herein shown, but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

In an overhead traveling crane, the combination with a traveling bridge of a driving shaft geared up to the driving wheels of the bridge and an electric motor located near each end of the shaft for actuating same, the two motors being coupled up electrically so as to move in unison, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY MORGAN.

Witnesses:

HEATON W. HARRIS, F. E. DUSSEL. 

